Introduction of the Cantonese Opera Art Museum

and transmission of the heritage”, it has led to function transformation of museums under the influences of new museology. Cultural heritage conservation has changed from mere conservation to tangible objects to integrated conservation of man, object and environment. Now it protects dynamic process of cultural heritage development, rather than the static exhibits for people to pay their respects. Thus, it requires that the museums which bear the function of intangible cultural heritage conservation shall serve as a complex cultural space to inherit intangible cultural heritage and integrate tangible and intangible cultural heritage, rather than just a public building to collect and display cultural relics.

2. THE CANTONESE OPERA ART MUSEUM AND

INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE CONSERVATION Formed in Guangzhou area, Cantonese Opera is very popular in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hong Kong and Macau. It also spreads to places in Southeast Asia, Americas, Oceania and Europe where overseas Chinese inhabit. It is a Chinese local opera with the most international influence. In 2009, Cantonese Opera, so- called “Red Bean in South China”, as a second Chinese opera, was selected in UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity Comprises Cultural, just following the Kunqu Opera, and is also the sole world intangible cultural heritage of Guangdong Province so far. To safeguard and inherit the endangered Cantonese Opera art, the Guangzhou Municipal Government determines to build the Cantonese Opera Art Museum in Liwan district, the revival area of the Cantonese Opera, as well as a historical area known as an old name of “Xiguan” in Guangzhou 1 . On the site which was full of Lingnan city characteristics and cultural memory, what kind of architectural form chosen to protect and inherit the world intangible cultural heritage, attracts many Cantonese Opera successors and citizens. After rounds of competitions from 16 design units nationwide, the Lingnan traditional garden, jointly designed by the Architectural Design and Research Institute, South China University of Technology, and Architectural Design and Research Institute of Guangdong Province, is chosen as the final implementation program.

2.1 Introduction of the Cantonese Opera Art Museum

As an opera form, the Cantonese Opera is a comprehensive performing art blending singing, reading, performing and stage acrobatic fighting, music, costumes and stages. As the same as the cultural heritage of the traditional garden, Cantonese Opera meets the spiritual needs of the traditional Chinese literati after their substantial requirements were fulfilled. Both the garden and the opera have the same goal to entertain the viewers and satisfy their feelings through artificially created virtual operanatural space. Virtual storyLandscape cast Chinese literati’s recollections and visions on life situation of the viewers and garden owners. Cantonese Opera and Lingnan garden is geographically active in Liwan river surge-PanTong area, a core historical ˄ 1 ˅ The Cantonese Opera Art Museum Design Team: Architectural Design and Research Institute, South China University of Technology; Architectural Design and Research Institute of Guangdong Province Fig.2 General Plan of the Guangzhou Cantonese Opera Art Museum Fig. 1 Design Sketch of the Guangzhou Cantonese Opera Art Museum 25th International CIPA Symposium 2015, 31 August – 04 September 2015, Taipei, Taiwan This contribution has been peer-reviewed. doi:10.5194isprsarchives-XL-5-W7-187-2015 188 urban area in Guangzhou. They are part of the historical collective memory in the spirit of Lingnan region. “Liwan River Surge” is located in the southwest of the old urban area of Guangzhou, and today it specifically refers to “Shangxiguan Rive Surge” to the Pearl River waterway at PanTongkou. In the history of “Liwan River Surge- Pantong area ”, there were lots of water networks, rivers, lakes, creeks and streams, and Garden was built there in the historical records early in the South Han period. The last Emperor Liu Chang of South H an Dynasty built “Changhua Garden” at Litchi Bay, and whenever litchi became ripe, the Emperor would ho ld a “Red Cloud Feast” litchi feast in the imperial garden, and a part site of his former imperial garden “Liuwang Huawu” was also at Pantong. In the Tang Dynasty, there was a famous garden of “Liyuan”. In Jiaqing period of the Qing Dynasty, Qiu Xi built “Qiuzhu Garden” at Litchi Bay, which became the site of the famous Seamount Koon in the later time. In early time of Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty, since the site of the Tang Dynasty became withered, Ruan Fu, a literate’s name, changed the garden’s name to “Tangliyuan,” and in the later time, a painter named Chen Wuzi drew two paintings “The pictures of Tangliyuan” Fig.3. As the gardens owner changed, Pan Shicheng owned those two paintings which were stored in The Seamount Koon Fig. 4. In the Ming Dynasty, “Liwan Fishing song” ˄ Liwan Yuchang ˅ was one of the eight best sites in Guangzhou, boosting a reputation of “A-thousand-miles of Red Cloud, Eight-b ridge Barge”. In the Qing Dynasty, “Liwan River Surge” area became an attraction of Guangzhou. During the period of Thirteen-Trades Monopoly, rich families bought gardens along the banks of Litchi Bay and many private gardens appeared represented by The Seamount Koon and the “Little Boats GardenXiaohuafangzhai” Fig. 5.At the flourishing time, there were various of famous gardens along “Liwan River Surge”, such as “Tangliyuan”, “Zhang’s garden”, “Song’s Garden”, “Deng’s Garden”, “Lee’s Garden” and “Ye’s Garden”, etc. Since the Seamount Koon became an official property, it was divided into “Peng’s Garden” and “Chen’s Garden” The private gardens were not only an important space for meeting friends for merchants but also an important place for recreation of the family members. In his book of “Travel in the Old China”, an American named William • Hunter quoted a letter from Guangzhou published in the “French Communique” on April 11, 1860. In the letter, it illustrated the scenes in the Seamount Koon. There was a stage in front of the house where ladies lived. About one hundred actors could perform at the same time on the stage. The stage was so well designed that people could watch shows without any difficulties within the house. There was also a stage built in “Little Boats GardenXiaohuafangzhai”. Litchi Bay area is also the location where some of the modern Cantonese Opera performing artists like Hong Xianno, Bai Xuexian, Bai Yurong and Luo Pinchao lived. Within 200 meters from the site, there is the representative of Cantonese opera revival-Bahe Hall the Chinese actor’s association. The site itself has a close connection with Cantonese opera and Lingnan gardens. The Cantonese Opera Art Museum will take advantage of these common and different characters to achieve modern dialogue across time and space between the two arts. Located in such an important historical urban area, the Cantonese Opera Art Museum appears in the form of the Lingnan traditional garden with the concept of the Chinese traditional art philosophy “rhythmic vitality Qiyun”, which pursues the rhythmic combination of the Cantonese Opera Fig. 3 Tangliyuan Garden Fig. 4 The Seamount Koon Fig.5 Panchangyao Garden ’ 25th International CIPA Symposium 2015, 31 August – 04 September 2015, Taipei, Taiwan This contribution has been peer-reviewed. doi:10.5194isprsarchives-XL-5-W7-187-2015 189 and Lingnan garden art in the spirit and architectural performance. The building includes the main building and six groups of gardens. The overall layout of the building group is located along the skeleton of the cross axis: the longitudinal axis is determined based on the hall and the pavilions. The west of the axis is designed for exhibition and large-scale performances, while the east of the axis for recreation, temporary exhibition and small-scale performances. Six groups of courtyards are designed a spatial layout to closely surround the central pond like a myriad of stars around the moon. The central pond form an water area up to 1478m 2 , with the diversion from “Liwan River surge”, accounting for12.8 of the site. The water flowing through each courtyard will connect to the central water area, so the entire space will joint up. Gardens, buildings hills and water arrangement are all based on the “rhythmic vitality Qiyun” as the concepts, thus make the whole garden lively.

2.2 Integrated Preservation of the Cantonese Opera Art